Through the Looking Glass
When I was a small girl, my father had a print of a dragon from the famous Japanese artist Kuniyoshi hanging on the wall in his office. A simple piece…my father was successful but even he could not afford an elaborate multi-block print from a master printmaker like Kuniyoshi… it was black and white with only the eyes of the creature in a piercing emerald green. I loved to stare at the image while my sister and I sat on the floor doing schoolwork while our father worked diligently at his desk. I would imagine it was Ryo-Wo, the Dragon King, stalking the seas and keeping a wary eye on us humans on the surface. Making sure that even though I excelled at my studies, he could always counter my science with his magic.
There is a legend in Japanese mythology of a simple fisherman, Urashima, who caught a sea turtle in his nets. Seeing as the turtle is the messenger of the Dragon King, Urashima released it. Out of gratitude, the turtle invited the fisherman to his master’s court. Little did he know that this creature was actually Otohime, the daughter of the Dragon King in disguise. And once they were in Ryugu, the mystical palace of Ryo-Wo, she appeared to him in the shape of a beautiful woman, and married him. Urashima lived for three days with his beautiful young wife but then he wished to see his parents who were aging. Otohime gave him a keepsake of their love, a beautiful magic box with instructions never to open it, and sent him back to the surface. But when he returned to his land, he discovered that one day in Ryugu was the same as one hundred years in the human world and all his family had died many, many years before. Urashima was grief-stricken to have lost his family and yearned only to return to his new wife, but he did not know how. Out of desperation, he opened the box, hoping it would help him find his way back to Otohime. But when he opened the box, he immediately aged three hundred years and fell dead upon the ground.
This is not the happiest childhood story to recall when you are about to embark on a mission involving time travel and an underwater city, but it is also easy to understand why it came to mind. Especially when I stopped by Dr. McKay’s quarters before I was to depart the Alpha site. I was about to request entry when I heard the voice of Dr. Beckett inside his tent.
“I swear I might as well be talking to the tent posts, Rodney, but you have to keep these bandages changed.”
Dr. McKay had injured his hands with one of the Ancient devices he was using to study the ZPM. I only wish I had been able to assist him so that maybe I could have been activating the device when it had exploded instead of him. Unfortunately, he had sent me to my quarters, loudly voicing his disapproval of my presence in the lab. I’m sure it was that he felt I should have been resting, seeing as I had been awake for almost twenty-three hours. He worries over all of us in the labs, and we often garner his displeasure by not heeding his advice quickly enough or in the manner that he believes is best for us. He works much, much too hard, trying to ensure the safety of everyone on the expedition, and his injuries have only made his already heavy workload that much more burdensome and his concerns that much more verbal. That is one of the reasons I was honored he would ask me to take on such an important mission, so that I could ease some of the constant strain he is always under. Not wishing to disturb the two men, I stepped back from the door, wrapping my coat tighter around me to ward off the winter winds and waited until Dr. Beckett could properly care for Dr. McKay’s wounds.
“Why? We’ll all be gone from this reality before they heal and if Miko’s successful then the injuries will never happen.”
“I’d much rather concentrate on the here and now than try to wrap my brain around the concepts of time travel, quantum rifts and alternate dimensions. Now, stop moving so that I can apply the bandages properly.” There was a pause before Dr. Beckett continued. “Rodney, if you keep staring at that screensaver, you’re going to burn out your retinas.”
“I’m not staring! It just…keeps catching me off guard is all.”
Dr. Beckett gave a disbelieving and slightly distracted, “Of course, it does. There, done with the right hand, let’s move to the left.”
“Well, how would you feel, Carson, if someone dropped a bombshell like that on you? Oh, by the way, you’re married… to a guy… that you’ve never met before…and he’s the key to saving the lives of numerous people in multiple realities. I mean, you try assimilating that along with a photo of the two of you looking awfully damn happy together. Freakishly fucked up does not even start to cover it.”
“Aye, you happy, that’s probably what caused the rift in the first place. I doubt the dimensions could ever survive such an event. It must go against a dozen different laws of nature.” There was a hiss of pain and Dr. Beckett soothed, “Sorry, lad, almost done. Although if you would just change these like you’re supposed to, the dressing wouldn’t stick.”
“I do look happy, don’t I?” I could hear his snort even over the wind. “A happily married McKay, now that is a true contradiction. Just one more thing that makes me think that photo’s been doctored, the files have been manipulated and I was just the victim of a ruthless prank whose timing sucked.”
“Huh, that’s interesting.”
Obviously Dr. Beckett had noticed something on Dr. McKay’s hand as my supervisor demanded in alarm. “What? What is it? Christ, gangrene has set in, hasn’t it? You should have changed these out days ago, Carson. What the hell kind of doctor are you anyway?”
“Rodney, calm down. Despite your lack of care for yourself, your hands are healing nicely. It’s just I’ve never noticed this band of undamaged skin on your finger before. It’s like you were wearing a ring that protected the flesh at the time of the accident.” After a moment of silence, Dr. Beckett asked quietly, “Rodney, are you okay?”
Dr. McKay’s voice was flat when he finally responds. “Just finish bandaging up my hand, Carson. I’ve got work to do.”
“Of course,” Dr. Beckett responded sympathetically. I stepped away from the door when Dr. Beckett’s voice came closer. “I’ll stop by in the morning to check them again.” When he exited, I smiled and bowed slightly in greeting. “Miko, I was hoping to see you before you left. I just wanted to wish you good luck on your mission.”
“Thank you, Doctor. It has been most enjoyable to be part of this expedition with you and the others.”
His smile drooped. “I guess I hadn’t meant this as a goodbye but it is, isn’t it? If what Rodney has told me is true, we’ll never know you did this but you’ll be trapped in the other reality.”
“Yes, it is rather complicated to think about how the time line will be changed and the results of those changes.”
“And you will be all right staying in that alternate reality?”
“It will be odd, surrounded by people that I know but actually do not know. But I am sure I will adapt.” I did not mention the concerns that I may not be able to exist for very long outside of my own dimension; that even those that traveled through the Quantum Mirrors are only able to survive in the alternate realities for a limited time due to entropic cascade failure. But Dr. Zelenka had discussed the possibilities with me and we believed I may have a chance…although the cause was rather morbid and not easy to consider.
“Aye, I’m sure you will, as well.” He smiled warmly then took my hand in both of his. “God speed on your journey, lass.”
I lowered my eyes demurely and bowed my thanks then entered the Dr. McKay’s tent when he left. “Dr. McKay? May I come in?”
Dr. McKay quickly clicked his laptop shut with a nervous and somewhat guilty jump at my presence. “Ah, Miko, good, you’re here. Saves me a trip.” He motioned for a seat on one of the crates that housed the equipment and Ancient technology we had brought with us from Atlantis. “So, you’re ready? Radek said he had briefed you on everything we know about the time travel device.”
I patted my pocket where the smooth palm-sized device rested. “Yes, we have gone over all the data. He believes the rift has consumed all of Atlantis by now so that I can activate the device when I step through the gate back to Atlantis to allow me to cross into the other dimension and then I can use the Gateship Janus built to travel back three years. I will only have to use the hand held device in an emergency.”
“Excellent.” He seemed not to know what to do with his hands so he put them behind his back. “Now, you do understand that you can’t tell anyone back there anything else about the expedition to Atlantis other than John Sheppard, a pilot in the U.S. Air Force has to go with them to Atlantis. Everyone on the entire expedition is going to die this time around, except, hopefully, Dr. Weir, and telling them anything else may keep someone else from going. And the last thing we need is to get Sheppard through the gate and someone else decides not to come.”
I nodded my understanding earnestly. And that was what we were hoping would be my saving grace. If the Miko from that reality died, which we knew would happen when she went through the gate, then I might have a chance to survive. “My name is Miko Kusanagi, I am a member of the Atlantis expedition, and I must speak with General O’Neill,” I told him from rote memory. “And then I tell him that it is imperative that John Sheppard go to Atlantis with the expedition and nothing else.” I sat straighter, emphasizing my resilience so that he knew he could count on me.
“Great. So, do you have any questions for me before you go?”
“Yes, is my clothing appropriate?” I would be wearing a full wetsuit when I went though the gate but I wanted to make sure the clothes I had on under them were correct.
“What?” He asked in genuine bewilderment. “Why are you so worried about your clothes?”
“Dr. Zelenka was adamant that I not wear a red shirt. I just want to make sure that blue is acceptable.”
At my admission, Dr. McKay frowned and growled, “Radek, you smart ass son of a bitch,” under his breath, before shaking his head and telling me, “The shirt is fine, Miko. You’re going to do fine. Just do whatever it takes to get Sheppard through the gate and we will be eternally grateful…even though we won’t remember it but if we could, we would be…or something like that.”
I beamed proudly, trying to hold back my threatening tears of joy that he would praise me so. “Dr. McKay, I just want you to know that the honor my country bestowed upon me by asking me to be part of this expedition was nothing in comparison to the honor I have had working under the supervision of someone as esteemed as you.”
He appeared somewhat flustered by my words. “Well, thank you, Miko. And as for working with you, all I can say is…ditto.” We stayed that way for a moment, me basking in his praise and him standing and surveying the contents of his tent. Finally, he spoke. “So, you should probably gear up and get going.”
“Oh, yes, of course. Forgive me for not realizing I was interfering with your work.” I stood and handed him the laptop I carried. “For you to reassign as you see fit. I must apologize. I have stored personal files on the computer and did not have time to clear it out.”
Raising his hands to show he couldn’t take the computer, he indicated his table and I sat it down there. His face softened then, and his lips curved into a melancholy smile. “That’s fine, Miko. We’ll…we’ll take care of it.”
I started to leave, then mustering my courage I offered, “As you may know, I am an amateur photographer. Over the years we have been on Atlantis, I have taken numerous photographs of the expedition members, and evidently others that we have met but are no longer in our reality because of the rift.” He perked up at that. “There are photographs of you and…others on the hard drive if you would like to see them.” With a final respectful bow I turned to go. Behind me I could hear Dr. McKay powering up my computer.
When I passed through the stargate from the Alpha site and into Atlantis, I fingered the device in my hand, thought about going back fifteen minutes, stepped into a liquid surface and out into a world of water. The control room was pitch black as the city was currently hundreds of meters below water. Taking a few seconds to recheck the regulator on my SCUBA tank, I then scanned the room with my flashlight. Alien coral encrusted much of the control station and a school of fishlike creatures darted away from my light and up into the opening to the Gateship bay. The architecture was dreary without the glow of sunlight through the stained glass or the pale blue that outlined the steps and walkways at night. Like images of sunken ships that had sparkled in their heyday but now lay dead and dull on the ocean floor. Or the palace of the Dragon King that had been abandoned centuries before.
Following in the wake of the fish, I swam up to the Gateships. Activating the first one open, I waited a few minutes until the inside flooded with water before I entered and it glowed to life. I had flown them a few times but had repaired and studied them many times more. Studying the interior, I realizing that the first one was not the one I was looking for, so I moved to the next one and still no luck.
The watch on my wrist started beeping indicting that ten minutes had passed. My timeline was converging in both realities, if I didn’t go through the gate soon, I might forget why I was going in the first place. Swimming quickly to the next craft I opened it.
My name is Miko Kusanagi, I am a member of the Atlantis expedition, and I must speak with General O’Neill. It is imperative that John Sheppard go to Atlantis.
The door opened slowly and I waited as the water rushed in. John Sheppard must go to Atlantis. I must speak with General O’Neill. It is imperative that John Sheppard go to Atlantis. When the third Gateship didn’t have the consol, I started to panic. What if I couldn’t remember? What if I made it back to Earth but couldn’t remember why and they went without taking Colonel Sheppard? I could use the time travel device again when I was there. But that was dangerous. If I wasn’t protected then the device could kill me, like the box Otohime gave Urashima, it held death and salvation depending on how it was used.
John Sheppard must return to Atlantis. No, he must go to Atlantis. Returning to Atlantis might give away too much information. If I did not get this right, I would dishonor everyone on the expedition. I would shame Dr. McKay for trusting me with such an important mission. My name is Miko Kusanagi and John Sheppard must return to Dr. McKay. No, that wasn’t right, and yet, recalling the pictures that were on my computer, it was probably much closer to the truth than anyone realized.
Glancing at my watch again I considered jumping back a few minutes more; just to give me more time. When the third ship didn’t have the time travel apparatus, I did just that. Five minutes, I thought as my fingers ran over the slick surface of the device. Just five minutes more and I should be safe and still have time to find the correct ship. The trip was quick and excruciatingly painful but looking at my watch, I saw I had the extra time. Kicking my legs that protested the action, I moved to the next ship and opened the back hatch.
My name is Miko Kusanagi. John Sheppard must go to Atlantis. Dr. McKay will be very upset if he does not. I would have giggled at the thought if my lungs didn’t hurt so badly, the five-minute jump had obviously done more damage than we thought it would. Inside my mask I could feel the warmth of blood running down my upper lip. Fighting to hold up my flashlight, I directed the beam into the darkness of the craft even as the water continued to rush in. The shaft of light passed over a large shape in the middle of ship and I let out a relieved sigh in an escape of bubbles. After the ship filled with water, I entered, activated the consol, and in a blip I traveled back three years. This time, the only indication I had that I had completed the trip was that there was no water outside the ship. Atlantis hadn’t flooded until after we came through, so this Atlantis still had an active shield holding back the ocean.
Opening the back hatch again, I then had to wait for the water to drain out. The weight of my air tank without the buoyancy of the water nearly toppled me over. Struggling out of the tanks, I peeled off my mask and wiped at the blood on my face. If I could make it to the doctors at the SGC, they could help me. And clinging to that thought, I stashed my SCUBA gear in a corner of the Gateship, knowing that the ship would crash before anyone ever found them.
I fished my glasses from my pack then took it and staggered out into the hangar, the city responding to my ATA gene and lights activating as I stepped. I had to hurry; if I stayed too long, the city would begin to rise and flood before the expedition even stepped foot through the gate. Making my way as quickly as possible to the stargate, I dropped heavily to my knees and began installing the ZPM and attaching the feedback loop that would drain the power source before the expedition arrived. There had been quite a bit of debate about that. Dr. McKay had argued that a fully charged ZPM in Atlantis would have made our lives so much easier but Dr. Weir convinced the SGC that it was important that we maintain the timelines as close to accurate as possible or there was no telling what would happen.
My name is Miko Kusanagi. I must speak with John Sheppard.
Finishing my installation, I stood and nearly toppled over from lightheadedness. I found myself wondering when the Dragon King would appear, with his emerald eyes and ability to suck the life from a ZPM with just a thought. Leaning against the DHD for support, I dialed in the eight chevrons to Earth then watched with satisfaction as they began locking into place. Soon I would be leaving and there would be no way back. I had spent three years on Atlantis, three hundred years in Ryugu, and would return to a world that thought they knew me but didn’t. A world where I would condemn myself to death so that an entirely different reality could live, myself included. Wavering where I stood, I watched as Ryo-Wo roared and in an explosion of dragon’s breath the event horizon burst to life. And I suddenly knew what it felt like for Urashima when he so desperately wanted to go home. The problem was, I didn’t know if I wanted to go to the home of my parents or Otohime.
My name is Urashima. I must speak to Ryo-Wo. Otohime must go to Ryugu.
I entered the IDC code I had been given by the SGC when they approved this. It was an emergency code given to indicate an ally in need of assistance. If they didn’t lower the shield, then the mission would end as soon as I stepped through the gate.
Wiping at my nose that still bled, I cradled my sore chest, walked to the gate, and stepped into the head of the dragon who spit me violently across the universe and out into the roar of klaxons and the grey of the SGC. The men with guns spun and I found myself looking up at the ceiling as cold metal ate into my back.
The face of several men appeared over me, their faces taught, their heads covered with helmets, their guns pointed down at me. Then the face of a woman framed in short blonde hair…Colonel Samantha Carter.
She looked back behind her. “We need a medical team to the Gate Room! General, you should see this.” I tried to speak and she smiled reassuringly. “Just take it easy. Help will be here soon.”
The room continued to spin and darken around the edges but I blinked back against it when another man appeared. “Carter? What is it?”
“Her clothes, sir. She’s wearing an Atlantis expedition patch.”
A salt-and-peppered head peered down at me. “And the gate dialed in from there?”
“Yes, sir.”
“My name is Miko Kusanagi, I am a member of the Atlantis expedition, and I must speak with General O’Neill. It is imperative that John Sheppard go to Atlantis.” My words slurred sloppily toward the end and it was with shame that I realized I could no longer hold my eyes open. The world faded from white to black, just like the print of the dragon in my father’s office. And I found myself watching the dragon swoop and soar through the water, the emerald eyes glowing, tracing through the darkness.
“Do you recognize any of those names?”
“No, sir, but I don’t think she’s military, so she must be one of the scientists.”
“All right, have Walter get Weir on the phone. And what’s his name… the head scientist that pisses you off so much…”
“Rodney McKay, sir.”
“That’s the one. Get him down here to identify her.”
“He’s in Antarctica with the rest of the expeditionary force.”
“Send the Prometheus to haul him back.” His voice started to fade as he moved away. “And find out who the hell this John Sheppard is.”
And then even the eyes of the dragon faded away.